For example, a substrate treatment apparatus such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which applies predetermined treatments to a semiconductor substrate (wafer) and an LCD manufacturing apparatus which applies predetermined treatments to an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)-use glass substrate includes a plurality of treatment chambers therein, and the film forming treatment is applied to the substrate in each treatment chamber. Further, the substrate is transferred between the respective treatment chambers using a transfer machine.
One example of general steps for treating the substrate using a substrate treatment apparatus which has the constitution shown in FIG. 1 is explained in conjunction with FIG. 16. Here, as respective treatment furnaces (respective treatment furnaces 6 to 9), for example, furnaces for a heat treatment process are used. To be more specific, a hot wall furnace, a lamp furnace, a cold wall furnace adopting a resistive heating plate system and the like are adopted as the furnaces.
FIG. 16(a) shows one example of a substrate transfer flow when ultra-thin stacked films are formed on a single substrate to be treated through four treatment chambers 6 to 9, and FIG. 16(b) which shows one example of a treatment history of the substrate is shown as an event timing chart. In FIG. 16(a) and FIG. 16(b), the treatments indicated by same numerals (1) to (13) correspond to each other.
Hereinafter, the respective treatments (1) to (13) of the substrate treatment flow are explained in order.
(1) In a step of the loading treatment (atmospheric-pressure atmosphere conveyance), the substrates to be treated disposed in the inside of a carrier station 1a are conveyed to a first load-locking chamber 4 sheet by sheet by an atmospheric-pressure transfer machine 2. In this embodiment, in the course of the transfer of the substrate, the center position correction and the rotational-direction position correction of the substrate are performed via a substrate position correction unit 3 thus enhancing the reproduction of the conveyance position of the substrate to the first load-locking chamber 4.
(2) In a step of the load-locking chamber vacuum evacuation treatment, the vacuum evacuation for preventing an intrusion of air into a conveyance chamber 5 and the N2 atmosphere substitution are performed. The pressure adjustment is performed by supplying an inert gas such as an N2 gas to the transfer chamber 5 after performing the arrived vacuum evacuation corresponding to a holding pressure zone (1.0E-8 to 5.0E4 Pa) of the conveyance chamber 5.
(3) In a step of the first substrate conveyance treatment, using a vacuum atmosphere transfer machine 11 of the conveyance chamber 5, the substrate is conveyed to the first treatment chamber 6 from the first load-locking chamber 4.
(4) In a step of the first processing treatment, the treatment in the first treatment chamber 6 is performed. Here, in the respective treatment chambers 6 to 9, the film forming treatments such as the formation of an ultra-thin film and the heat treatment are applied to the substrate. Further, the treatment times in the respective treatment chambers 6 to 9 usually differ from each other for respective treatment chambers 6 to 9 in many cases.
(5) In a step of the second substrate conveyance treatment, using the vacuum atmosphere transfer machine 11 of the conveyance chamber 5, the substrate is conveyed to the second treatment chamber 7 from the first treatment chamber 6.
(6) In a step of the second processing treatment, the treatment in the second treatment chamber 7 is performed.
(7) In a step of the third substrate conveyance treatment, using the vacuum atmosphere transfer machine 11 of the conveyance chamber 5, the substrate is conveyed to the third treatment chamber 8 from the second treatment chamber 7.
(8) In a step of the third processing treatment, the treatment in the third treatment chamber 8 is performed.
(9) In a step of the fourth substrate conveyance treatment, using the vacuum atmosphere transfer machine 11 of the conveyance chamber 5, the substrate is conveyed to the fourth treatment chamber 9 from the third treatment chamber 8.
(10) In a step of the fourth processing treatment, the treatment at the fourth treatment chamber 9 is performed.
(11) In a step of the fifth substrate conveyance treatment, using the vacuum atmosphere transfer machine 11 of the conveyance chamber 5, the substrate is conveyed to the first load-locking chamber 4 from the fourth treatment chamber 9.
(12) In a step of the treatment for restoring the atmospheric-pressure in the load-locking chamber and the substrate cooling treatment, the restoration of atmospheric-pressure for returning the substrate after the treatment to the atmospheric-pressure atmosphere is performed. These steps also simultaneously perform a cooling event of the high-temperature substrate after the treatment.
(13) In a step of the unload treatment, the substrate after the treatment is conveyed to the carrier station 1a from the first load-locking chamber 4.
Here, the above-mentioned conveyance steps (3), (5), (7), (9) and (11) describe the operations in which a valve element mechanism (GV: gate valve) which isolates the treatment chambers 6 to 9 (also including the load-locking chambers 4, 5) which constitute the substrate transfer sources from the conveyance chamber 5 is opened, the predetermined substrate is held using the transfer machine 11, the substrate is transferred to one of the treatment chambers 6 to 9 which constitutes the substrate transfer destination, and the GV of the treatment chamber which constitutes the substrate transfer destination is closed. Further, the time of this conveyance step also includes, depending on a case, a preliminary operation time of the transfer machine 11 which is necessary for getting access to the substrate at the substrate transfer source from a state that the previous transfer operation of the substrate is finished. In this specification, the conveyance time implies such a time.
Further, the above-mentioned process treatment steps (4), (6), (8) and (10) indicate steps immediately after the GV is closed due to the transfer operation and immediately before the GV for the substrate is opened, wherein in the steps, a predetermined sequence is executed so as to apply the ultra-thin film forming treatment and the heat treatment to the substrate.
A timing chart shown in FIG. 16(b) expresses treatment histories of respective substrates as dimensional events with respect to the above-mentioned steps (1) to (13).
To continuously and effectively apply the same treatment to a plurality of substrates, it is necessary to arrange the above-mentioned events such that the same events in the above-mentioned timing chart are not overlapped to each other.
Here, an example of a related art is explained.
As one example, in “a substrate conveyance control method and a substrate product manufacturing method”, out of values of a group of treatment chambers each of which is obtained by dividing a total time consisting of a time required for substrate treatment in a treatment chamber and a time required for conveyance treatment of the substrate to the treatment chamber by the number of treatment chambers in a group of treatment chambers, a time which is equal to or more than a maximum value is set as a tact time, and the substrate which constitutes an object to be treated is loaded into the substrate treatment apparatus at a time interval in accordance with the tact time (for example, see patent document 1). Here, although the substrate loading time is fixed in this technique, the stagnancy of substrate occurs in the treatment chamber.    Patent document 1:    U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,904